Characterization of channels in zirconia ceramics using laser scanning confocal microscopy

摘要

Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) has been used to study many different biological systems, including cell and tissue biology of animals [1, 2] and plants [3]. However, despite its great utility as an experimental tool and its wide application in the biological sciences, the use of the LSCM to characterize non-biological materials has been very limited. The few LSCM studies of non-biological subjects that are described in the literature address such diverse subjects as the 3-dimensional microstructure of sol-gels [4], the erosive and chemically induced wear of the surface of large-bore guns [5] and the microstructure of porous rocks [6]. In this study, laser scanning confocal microscopy is used to characterize the surface topology of channels fabricated in zirconia ceramics, as well as the surface topology of the fugitive phase elements used to form the channels.